Page 63 of Black Mamba

“Let me help,” I announce myself, crossing the meadow.

Both of their heads lift, their gazes shooting to me. Greg straightens from where he is bent over and Levy sits back.

They are silent as I approach the fire and shift the branches around, breaking several of them until they are smaller. I light them with the firestarter and am able to keep the flames going, snatching more kindling from the pile with my tail and adding it to the growing fire. As the flames spread steadily, I look at the males.

Levy glares at me while he eats his strange rectangular meal. Meanwhile, Greg adds another branch to the pit. The silence between us is tense as we study each other, and I decide whether I am going to speak.

“Elena is mine,” I warn, my voice darker than I mean it to be. I do not fear these males, even if Greg killed Deiys. I do not fear he will turn his weapon on me unless he absolutely has to.

“Is that why she was up the mountain and in your… cave this morning?” Greg asks without looking up, busy with his wood pile.

“It does not matter why she was in my cave. She is mine, and I will do what I must to protect her and keep her safe.”

“Oh, is that what you two were doing?” Levy drawls, shaking his head.

“At least there’s that,” Greg says at the same time. “Look, we don’t want any trouble and if there’s something between you and the girl, that’s between you two. She disappeared again this morning and left her ship open. Levy and I went searching for her, thinking she might have been taken again. Neither of us knew she left willingly and was all right.”

Levy’s gaze drifts over me and his expression morphs into disgust. “She can do whatever the hell she wants.”

I narrow my eyes. “Within reason.”

He laughs dryly. “She picked a real winner with you. I guess you are her best bet at surviving out here, but still… disgusting.”

“Levy, enough. It’s none of our business,” Greg snaps, finally moving away from his pile to sit on his stool.

“He threatened to kill us!”

“I will protect what is mine in any manner I see fit.” I arch a brow.

Greg sighs and rubs his eyes with his hands. “Levy shut up. Or he might just do what he threatened.”

Levy turns on him. “How can you be so calm?”

“Because nothing is going to come from any of this unless we move on to what’s really important. Also, he’s not going to kill me, I’m not the one antagonizing him. Lukys has made no act against either of us yet and I don’t believe he will. Why else would he have helped us keep the fire lit?”

“And what’s more important than our lives?”

“What we do next,” Greg says, lifting his eyes to mine.

Levy goes silent but then curses. He walks to his stool and sits down.

I regard the two males, taking in their increasingly gaunt forms and the shadows under their eyes. They are tired, unkempt, and for the first time I wonder if they are… managing. I rarely see either of them eat but then again I do not watch them while they are inside their ship. I have not encountered them hunting though I have heard Greg’s gun being fired.

“I do not intend to hurt or kill either one of you⁠—”

“Oh, thank god,” Levy mutters.

“—unless you hurt or try anything against Elena. I have decided I do not mind you two living within my territory as long as you heed my warning and understand that Elena is mine. This is my warning and invitation. You may stay here and keep your ship nest, but you are never to return to my cave again.”

Levy dryly laughs. “That’s the thing, naga, we don’t plan to stay. Thanks for your ‘invitation’ but our ship is almost out of supplies. It isn’t nearly as equipped or as advanced as Elena’s. It’s a fucking maintenance vessel, not a home.”

Greg glowers at him. “Levy.”

Levy stops laughing and grabs another branch to throw into the fire. “Whatever.”

“You are planning on leaving?” I coil my tail tighter under me. “Where?”

Greg shifts and glances at Levy before looking at me. “While scouting we’ve seen smoke trails in the distance, coming from every direction but mainly in the north and east. We think one of the encampments is out there. One of the bigger ones that is often on the broadcasts. There’s supposedly an encampment east and, another, far in the north. Our ship won’t be able to take off again, and with our supplies nearly depleted and without the skills to survive someplace like… here—at least not alone and for however long it may be—we’ve been thinking about leaving. The encampment, if that’s what we’re seeing, doesn’t look too far away.”